


as long as you're with me

by remusroses



Series: remusroses' ficmas 2020 [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:20:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28049130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remusroses/pseuds/remusroses
Summary: A few months following Sirius and Remus as they navigate jobs, life, love and the occasional shitty coworker.. together.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes (not yet established), Sirius Black & Remus Lupin
Series: remusroses' ficmas 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2018498
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	as long as you're with me

**Author's Note:**

> Ficmas Day 3!

Sirius had had a horrible day. He had been working, at his new job in a record shop. It had been a pain in the arse and this one coworker had been a real dick.

The only person that hadn’t been totally rude was a coworker named Dorcas. He thought she was probably very gay, and edgy, and he hoped she’d be a bit of a saver in that chaos. All he wanted to do was whine about all of it to Remus. Remus, with his stupid, amazing, happy job. That he loved.

“Take me to bed.“, he pouted after he’d eaten some dinner, making Remus laugh. ”I thought we’d watch a movie, or something. No?“

He wrapped his arms around Remus‘ waist and nuzzled his face in his neck.

“And you blow me?“ Slightly calloused hands wrung through his hair softly, combing it with care. “If I feel like it…“

He could hear the smile in it, the supressed laugh.

“But you have to tell me about your first day first, love.“

Remus turned him around and walked him to the stairs, nudging him up.

Sirius swallowed. “It sucked ass.“

Remus stilled. “Really?“

Sirius turned around on the step and cupped Remus‘ cheeks with his hands, sighing.

“Yeah, sadly. I hoped it would… dunno. Not suck, I guess.“

Remus leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

“Cuddle? Yeah, come on. Cuddle.“

-

And just when they were settled, Sirius started sniffling. He didn’t even know why he felt the need to cry. It was the long ass day, and the mean comments by his coworker that he’d met with coolness of course, and wit, and punk rock. In the end, it was tiring. It was also disappointing. He had had high hopes for the job, not that those couldn’t be fulfilled. It promised a good pay and possibilities for raises and such. Just that a working environment was also important. And rudeness was just annoying.

“I‘m sorry, baby.“, Remus said softly, playing with his hair. “I‘ll slash his tires or something.“

Sirius laughed wetly. “You wouldn’t.“

Remus‘ smile was soft, and amused. It was relaxed, just like things were between them. There was no place or person Sirius was more comfortable to be himself with.

“Probably not. I’d figure something out either way. Maybe write his mum. Or nan.“ “Wow. My husband is an evil genius.“

He received a soft kiss on his scalp along a chuckle.

“How was your day?“, he asked.

He loved talking about himself, he had to say that, but he would never want Remus to feel like he didn’t care about what he felt like.

“Oh, it was fine, really.“ “No annoying kiddos?“

A chuckle.

“Not really, no. They’re… they’re good.“ They kissed softly. “Good. I‘m happy for you, babe.“

And he was.

-

The next day started out pretty shitty as well. It was the end of August, but somehow it was really brisk and windy, and so Sirius took his leather jacket over his t shirt.

Severus, the rude coworker in question, was cleaning up some when he arrived, and he didn’t see anyone else there.

Gladly, he could quickly get to work on the records and didn’t have to talk to him much, but he heard him muttering under his breath, trying to stay unaffected. It worked, for the most part.

For lunch break, he grabbed his jacket that he’d shed in the warmth of the store and went outside, sitting down on a block of cement against the wall.

The wind fussed with his hair, and he tucked some loosened strands from his bun behind his ears.

Lighting up a cigarette made a familiar sound, and the exhale of smoke brought a little smile to his lips.

Before he knew it, he’d called Remus‘ number and had him on the line.

“Hey Love, is something wrong?“, came the soft voice through his phone speaker. He hummed.

“Just wanted to hear your voice, baby.“

He didn’t see it, but he thought that Remus was smiling.

“I love you, you sap. I‘m so sorry but I have to go, don’t have much time.“

Right then, the back door swung open, revealing his coworker Dorcas. She saluted him.

“Ok, then I don’t wanna slow you down.“

“You’re not- well, doesn’t matter. I‘ll tell Lily you said hi.“

“Thanks Re. Love you too.“

He hung up, taking a long drag of his cig and watching Dorcas sit down next to him.

“Thought you might be back here.“, she said with a smile.

He shrugged. „Snape isn’t the easiest companion, at least not for me.“

She grinned. “Oh he’s a real dick. I took about a week to really hate him though. You’re quick.“

He huffed out a breath. “Reminds me of someone, which isn’t helping I guess.“

She nodded, taking the cigarette he offered to her, while he took his second and lit them both. “He criticised me yesterday for fun flirting with customers.“, he said with a huff of annoyance, but also bemusement.

“Isn’t that the whole point? As long as they’re not uncomfortable and you make their visit more fun.“

He shrugged.

“I’ve never had problems with customers. But dear Severus has taken to know that I am a shameless flirt and apparently want to get in the pants of every female creature entering this store.“

Dorcas laughed. “He probably wouldn’t be the first to assume that from your talent in flirting.“

He smiled a bit, inhaling the sweet smoke and blowing it out.

“Well, I love flirting and being nice. It’s just one of the things I‘m good at.“

She laughed quietly and looked up to the sky. 

“You should always do it even more when he’s around. To piss him off. It’s not illegal or anything, so it’s just much more fun for everyone other than him involved.“

He leaned back, thinking for a moment, and then smiled.

“Sounds fun.“

-

In the weeks following, the new job got particularly more fun.

This was not because Severus (that everyone sane like Dorcas or their other coworker Marlene hated) was less of a dick or nicer.

It was because he got along very well with the others of the small crew, talked with them in lunch and coffee breaks, and collectively pissed off Snape for all of them.

“Are you sure it’s the best idea to rile him up when you already don’t get along?“, Remus asked, glasses having dropped down a bit as he was reading in bed one night. Sirius glanced over, taking a long look.

Remus‘ hair had grown a bit too long, or longer than his usual cut. The soft curls were bouncing on his forehead and tickled his eyelashes from time to time.

He scrunched up his nose to not have to push the glasses up with his hands, brows furrowed in concentration.

Sirius fell in love all over again.

“No, it’s fun. And not like I’m doing much over the top, cause I am the most flirtatious this way or that.“

He scooted closer, wrapping his arms around Remus‘ waist. His husband closed his book slowly, not looking at him, and reached over to set it on the night stand. When his hand reached for the glasses, Sirius took them in his own and smiled at Remus‘ frown.

“I like you grandpa style.“ “That Sounds problematic.“, he answered dryly, making Sirius laugh. He only stopped when a kiss was pressed to his forehead.

“As Long as you‘ll only blush when I flirt back and no one else, I‘m good.“

Sirius grinned.

“I’d never, Moony. Babe. Baby. Love. You’re my one and only. I just flirt meaninglessly. You, I seduce.“

Remus laughed, his lips meeting his in a warm kiss.

“I love you.“ “And you’re so easily seduced, see.“

Remus shoved him. “You’re an idiot.“

Sirius smiled softly. “I love you too, Re.“

When Remus kissed him next, he pulled him closer, so close that he thought no one, no thought, no worry, no word, would have ever fit between them. Only their love for each other.

“I wish I could marry you again, Moony. Every day.“

The soft giggle only made him wriggle closer into Remus‘ embrace. He kissed his chest.

“Me too, Pads. Me too.“

-

Surprisingly, no one actually realised that Sirius was not single. Not even his coworkers, that he got really friendly with. They’d smoke together and talk about music, or their shared hatred for Severus, who’d be sulking who knows where. If he wasn’t, he’d either be talking to customers, doing the counter, or criticising them.

As much as he liked downgrading Sirius‘ work, the people coming into the store liked him pretty much always. He knew tons about music, and he was passionate too, which they could feel. He gave good advice and cared for the customers decisions.

One guy he was chatting with, though, tried to get his number one day.

Marlene, who was standing a few metres away, snickered, watching curiously. The guy was hot, obviously, and their age, but Sirius just grinned.

“Sorry, but that’s a no.“ “Oh, too bad. Your loss.“

He shrugged. “I‘ll be fine, I think.“

The guy laughed, nodding.

When Sirius came back to organise the rack Marlene was standing at, she was staring a little.

“Are you okay, Marls?“ “He was totally hot. Are you straight?“

Sirius grimaced, and she laughed. “Ew, Marlene. I‘m anything but straight. There’s never been a gayer soul on this earth than me.“

She smiled. “Cool. But then…“

He started grinning, and realised that she actually had no clue about Remus.

“Hm. Mysteries over mysteries. I had no interest of dating him, so I said no.“

He bopped her nose, ignoring Snapes glare.

“I believe you have work?“

-

Remus and him had started the try to be accepted for adoption papers about a month after he’d started the job.

Remus was happy with his stable job; and Sirius was too, as far as it went. He knew he had good chances and he liked most of it. Life always gave you at least one shitty coworker. But with Harry getting older, they found that they almost craved being parents of their own, with a little bundle of joy to give all their love to. Some might’ve said twenty five was too early to have kids, Lily and James would’ve laughed, and Sirius thought that these people probably hadn’t spent ten years with their partner already.

They waited for a month with nothing coming, while Sirius‘ work friends didn’t even know that he was in a relationship nor married, nor waiting for a fucking acception for adoption. It was a bit stressful, but after two months, and a good three months at the job, they had almost forgotten. Or more, accepted that they would just have to wait. Waiting was okay, accepting was good, declination would be bad.

-

Sirius was just doing the counter on a quiet day. It was the morning shift, so there wasn’t that much traffic yet, people slowly coming in. Dorcas was in the storage organising, and Severus was walking through the shop giving him the side eye when he was on his phone.

He’d had to leave early that morning, before Remus. Everything had been fine.

Then Remus‘ boss called him.

“Oh, hello ol‘ Minnie, what’s the matter?“, he asked.

“Hello Mr Black. I wanted to ask you about the whereabouts of your husband. He’s not come to work, or he is two hours late.“

Sirius‘ fingers froze around the pencil he was fiddling with.

“I thought you might know something.“

He stared at the dark wood of the counter. “No, sorry Professor. I‘ll try to find out.“

He hung up shortly after and ignored the way that Severus looked at him.

Even though a customer was approaching the counter, he dialled Remus‘ number and waited. Nothing.

Next was Lily.

The customer was waiting now, but he let out a breath of relief when she at least answered the call.

“He’s with me.“, she said immediately, and he closed his eyes. “God, I almost fainted here. What happened? Is he sick?“

Silence.

“No. It’s nothing physical. But I don’t really want to talk about it on the phone. You should come as soon as possible, talk to him and stuff.“

He swallowed. “Okay, I‘ll be right there.“

He hung up and was faced with a red Severus. “No you won’t. You’ll stay here till your afternoon shift is finished.“

Sirius‘ mouth fell open. “It’s a family emergency!“

“Is someone dying?“

He stared, couldn’t actually believe this was happening. “No, but-“

“Then its a no. You just disregarded multiple customers and then planned to just leave. Be glad it’s only a warning, Black.“

Sirius felt his cheeks darkening.

This was so unfair. “You’re not even my boss.“

“Close enough.“

Sirius wanted to say something, anything. He just turned around and went back to the shelf. He needed this job.

He wanted this job.

Because of his future. Their child-

The adoption.

-

When he arrived at the Potters house, it was already darkening.

He barked through the door and into the living room, where Remus was lying on the couch, huddled in a blanket with red cheeks.

“Snape is such a dick. I wanted to leave and he gave me a warning, and was so rude. I hate him.“, he ranted, reaching the sofa and immediately climbing onto it and body tackling his husband.

Remus let out a soft breath.

“They rejected us.“, he whispered, and their eyes met.

Sirius wanted to stay strong. But the words were like a knife. In his chest.

“Why?“

Remus sniffled.

“Said we were not the best choice or something, because we weren’t suitable enough.“

“But the criteria. It’s stupid. We’ve been married for six years. And together for ten. We’ve good jobs, and no records-“

“They think we’d not be a good fit for the kid, Sirius.“

“But Remus, we‘re-“

“We‘re gay!!“, Remus said loudly, almost yelling. Sirius froze.

“You should’ve read it. It’s so painfully obvious that they didn’t accept us because we are two guys. And only because of that.“

Remus had tears in his eyes, and Sirius just stared at him for a moment, before he swallowed, tears welling up in his own.

He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He closed it again.

“Children need homes and they refuse them love and safety because I like to have your dick in my arse?“

Remus blinked, then looked away.

“I guess so.“

“That’s, that’s stupid.“

He put his head on Remus‘ chest, letting out a shaky breath.

“And unfair. It’s not fair, Re.“, he whispered, tears slipping over his cheek and landing on Remus‘ shirt.

“No, it isn’t.“

-

The next day, Sirius woke up depressed.

Remus had a free day, and would be basically staying in bed, making calls et cetera, but Sirius, no. He had to go to work. Stupid work, with stupid Severus.

His head was throbbing and heavy, like his eyelids. He felt like his face was puffy the second he woke up.

He thought about calling in sick.

“You don’t have to go, Pads. It’s… maybe we could both use a day off.“, Remus mumbled when they were tangled up under the covers, his hands combing through Sirius‘ hair. He looked tired.

“I know, but… I have to. Snapes gonna be all in my face if I don’t, and I need to be as good as possible in front of the boss, Re. He’s starting to look at me closer, and the promotion…“

He swallowed.

Would be a big step for their family.

“You know, we are still a Family. The two of us. No matter what comes“, Remus whispered, and Sirius closed his eyes against his touch, pressing them together so he wouldn’t start crying again.

“We have always been. And we can try again. Many different things. I just don’t want us to… forget that we have each other. Right, Pads? As long as I have you..“

Sirius wrapped his arms around remus‘ waist and pulled him closer, pressing their lips together.

“I love you, Moony.“

“Forever?“

“And after that too.“

-

So he dragged himself to work.

He’d much rather cry more. He was always dramatic, but this wasn’t over exaggerating for him. This was months of waiting and hoping only to start from the very beginning.

Ever since leaving home and moving in with Jamie at sixteen, he had learned to deal with rejection. It was a reoccurring theme in his life, often because of his sexuality. He had learned not to get so angry every time he experienced something negative because of it, but there was just things he couldn’t brush off. Not when he felt so helpless.

After two hours, Severus and Marlene arrived, while Dorcas was in the storage room sorting new orders.

Marlene snuck her way behind the counter to him the moment Snape was gone.

“You look sick“, she stated, giving him a once over. He chuckled dryly.

“Thank you.“

“No I didn’t… lol, you know I didn’t mean it that way. Are you okay?“

He didn’t look at her, scanning some items.

“Yes, thanks. I‘m fine. Just tired. Didn’t sleep too much.“

Which wasn’t even a lie.

After a few more minutes, she let him off and got to her own work, then switching a bit after it and him working customers.

Everyone felt he wasn’t himself, dull.

Even Snape. Not that he would complain about Sirius being quiet and not flirting with every walking person in the store.

Dorcas only have him side looks, which must’ve been because she’d probably talked to Marlene. Who’d made clear there was no talking to him. 

She tried it still, a bit before their lunch break.

After he got a call.

“Pads? I don’t… how long do you work today? I know I should’ve memorised, but somehow I can’t find our time tables and it’s… I don’t know. I‘m… tired, and I can’t find anything-“

Sirius took a deep breath.

“Re? Moony? Hey, it’s okay. I… work through five today. Are you… I’m gonna leave if it’s too much. Everyone thinks I‘m sick anyway.“

Remus answered without hesitation.

“No, I‘m okay. Really. Just… wanted to hear your voice.“

He pressed his lips together.

“Yeah, Yeah of course. Maybe Lily could come over, hm? For tea.“

A moment of silence followed.

“Yeah, maybe. I‘ll… maybe I‘ll text her.“

He nodded, even though Remus couldn’t see it.

“I love you, Pads. I know I say that a lot. But I do.“

Sirius was so tired. He rubbed his eye with his sleeve and smiled.

“I love you too.“

“Good, good. I‘m gonna Make some calls. See you tonight.“

„Mh. Yeah. Bye, Re.“

-

“Now, look, I don’t want to pry. Who was that?“, Dorcas asked smoothly, leaning against a rack.

He pushed a record that he was holding back in.

“That was Remus.“

“Remus what?“

“Remus Lupin.“, were his final words, because he turned around to get back to the counter.

A good fifteen minutes after that, Dorcas was just about stopping glancing over.

When James entered the store.

“Hey Pads“, he said, leaning over the counter and taking a pen to fiddle with.

Sirius wanted to groan. He was too tired, too drained, feeling too dull, to do so.

“Hi.“

James drummed his fingers against the wood.

“It’s your break now. Let’s go outside.“

He thought for a moment and then saw that there was no getting out of this, so he agreed and went outside to his regular smoking place.

James didn’t say much, until he was seated next to him, and Sirius had lit a cig.

“You look like shit.“

Sirius laughed.

“I also feel like shit.“

James sighed. “Look Pads, if you want to-“

“I don’t want to talk about it, Prongs, because that won’t make it better. It just sucks.“

“Yeah. Suppose that’s true.“

There was a moment of silence.

“You should sue them.“

Sirius laughed again.

“And you think we have the money or will use our savings for that? We’re just gonna go to the next one and hope that they’re not homophobic as shit.“

James grimaced.

“Pads, you know…“

He let out a breath.

“No, you know what, James, I feel like a fucking idiot. It’s so unfair, that I have been in the same relationship for over ten years, been married for six of those, and have a stable job, just like Re does. All we want is to give a child a home, a safe and loving one. And some person has the right to decide that because we’re two guys, we can’t. And we can’t do anything about it. Someone is sitting there looking at all that information, and then decides that we‘re not worthy enough cause we‘re… different? We‘re in the damn twenty first century, for fucks sake.“

He bit back the angry tears and stomped out his cigarette.

“Its so unfair to every child out there. The fact that families like mine, a noble house like the Blacks, that discredit and abuse and mistreat their children into being something to uphold some standards, can just go and produce them like they’re product, and there’s nothing people do to stop it, but I, who only have good intentions and an open home, can’t. Just because we can’t produce them ourselves? Because… yeah, why? It makes me so fucking angry, James. Fucking angry.“

He let his head fall against the wall with a thud, closing his eyes.

“You know how… how excited Moony was? This was the second one we tried, after with the first one nothing ever got through. We thought nothing about it, at least not that it had to do with our… our sexualities. And we were like hey, second try, all good, this is going to be it! He was really excited.“

He pressed his lips together.

“I‘m so disappointed.“

His lip started to quiver, but he bit it down.

James put a hand on his thigh, patting it.

“I know. And it sucks. But we’re there for you. Both of you. We‘ll find a way. If we’d have the money, I swear I’d sue them.“

Sirius couldn’t help the little grin.

“Thanks, mate.“

-

Although talking to James had been good, he was still feeling like shit.

So he let the day go by, and hoped to feel better after the weekend.

-

On Monday, he made plans with Remus to look at other agencies when he came home, feeling better, and went to work with a feeling not so shitty anymore.

So when he was organising racks and Marlene slid up to him with a smug smile on her face, he could actually smirk back a little.

“So, Mr Black…“

He tilted his head. „Yes?“

“Who is this Messer Remus Lupin?“

He shook his head with a quiet smile and turned back to the shelf, pushing in a record carefully.

“Why?“

“We’ve never heard you talk about him, or seen him. Is he of romantic interest to you?“

He huffed out a little laugh.

“You could say that.“

She grinned like it was Christmas, and scooted closer.

“Now, what does that mean? Did you get together recently? Is he your… boyfriend? Or are you still dating dating?“

He regarded the records with a long look, before grinning and turning around to face Marlene.

“Actually-“

“Don’t you have work to do, McKinnon?“, Snapes voice cut through them, and Marlene grumbled before backing away.

She looked actually disappointed to not have gained more information, and Sirius grinned for the first time in days, an honest grin.

Because he had just gotten a funny idea.

-

“I love that.“, James said giddily that night, when Sirius came over before going home.

“But Let’s not Tell Moony about it, because he‘ll come over and be clueless, and it’s gonna be so much funnier.“, he added, and Sirius‘ grin widened.

“Absolutely. Thanks Prongs.“

“Always a pleasure, my dear.“

-

The next day, James came over to the store during Sirius‘ shift, greeting his coworkers.

As expected, Marlene took to asking him about Remus.

Sirius was behind the counter scanning items, and only saw them talking, but the more James said, a stupid shit eating grin on his face, the more Marlenes eyes widened. By the time he was done, she looked almost like she’d faint.

James came over to the counter and laughed quietly.

“Remember, you’re Remus‘ long time affair, it’s a tragic love story because he is married and is telling you for months he‘ll leave his wife for you, but still hasn’t, and you love him too much to let it go. You’re also kind of a dick because you don’t care about ruining his marriage, had to add that cause of your cockiness.“

“You’re a dick. And brilliant. She looks like she saw a ghost“, he snickered, and James discreetly fist bumped him.

“Awesome. Alright, I have to go now tho. It was my pleasure.“

-

This prank of sorts lasted two weeks.

Two rocky weeks at home, so many phone calls and appointments and little sleep and Sirius just trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

That Dorcas and Marlene were confused and shocked by his love affairs was little comfort, but still amusing.

Sirius was in the break room when Remus walked into it.

“Re!“, he said, surprised, almost choking on his sandwich shortly.

Remus would have looked normal to most people, but Sirius, who knew him, knew that this was his stressed look. Or sad. Or anything out of the ordinary really.

Marlene and Dorcas exchanged a glance.

“Um, hi.“, Remus Said, now seeming a bit of shy and giving a wave to the girls.

Sirius was already standing up.

“Hi, Pads, um, We need to… talk.“

For a second, Sirius thought Remus would want to leave him. After years of being married and all the trust he had in their relationship, it still seemed to be one of his fears.

However, he knew that wasn’t true. He knew.

But then this was also very not good.

“Yeah, sure, here let’s go outside.“

He opened the door, ignoring the eyes of his coworkers boring into his back.

“Moons, are you okay?“, he asked, and then let the door fell close behind them.

Remus sat down and let out a shaky breath.

“No.“

Sirius swallowed, biting his lip.

“Did I do something? Was something wrong at work?“

Remus sighed, shakily, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Sirius still saw the tears clouding his husbands eyes.

“I‘m so sorry, Sirius, I feel like I‘m… like I‘m failing you.“

Sirius immediately reached out, cupping remus‘ cheeks and forbidding him to look away.

“You could never.“

Remus sighed tearily.

“Pads, I… I can’t go through that whole process again. Not, not right now. It has been very stressful, with work, and at home now too, and I felt the effect that the whole situation with the other firm had on me, and on us, and everything. I don’t… I don’t think we‘re ready for a whole process, a new one, with possible disappointments and all of that. I think we should… maybe we should focus on ourselves for a little while longer. For a year, or two, or…“ He stopped and closed his eyes.

“Or three, Four, whatever.“, Sirius whispered, finishing the sentence, and when Remus‘ eyes snapped open, they met in an intense gaze.

“Baby, Re, please… god please never say that you are failing me. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, and will ever happen to me. I… maybe you are right about waiting. About all that. Maybe it’s better to… to let it rest a while. I should… focus on the job, and on us, and…“

He sighed and leaned back against the wall, until he felt Remus‘ fingers brushing over his cheek and through his hair.

He opened his eyes, and looked into the hazel ones that he had loved since he could remember knowing them.

“I love you.“, Remus smiled quietly, and he reached out behind his head and pulled him in for a kiss.

“I love you too.“

“Our time will come. Maybe just not now.“

He nodded, kissing him again. And again.

“We‘re not making out while you’re at work, Pads“, Remus murmured, just when their lips met again. Sirius just smiled into the kiss and tickled Remus, and when the reaction came as a little gasp, he slipped his tongue into his husbands mouth. The gasp that followed that was even better.

“Mmph“, Remus said, and then he gripped Sirius shoulders and dragged them apart.

“Stop“, he pressed out, panting.

Sirius‘ breathing was admittedly also a bit heavy, but he still smiled.

“Why?“

“Cause I‘m gonna have anxiety going back in there if you make me hard.“

Sirius‘ eyes widened and he blinked hard for a few times.

“Haha. You’re totally not making me hard by talking about it.“

“Then stop talking about it!“, Remus laughed, smacking his shoulder.

“Ouch. Ok.“

“Good, good. One more kiss tho.“

Sirius eagerly complied, providing a very nice, soundly smooch, ruffling through Remus‘ hair for effect.

Then they smoked a shared cigarette, and went back to the door inside.

“I‘m gonna call the attorney worker when I get home.“, Remus said when they reached the break room.

From Marlene and Dorcas‘ faces, they understood this very differently than them. It made sense. Sirius tried not to laugh. Also, the matter was rather serious and not amusing.

“Shes gonna figure everything out and send me the papers to cancel everything out for now.“, Remus continued. Sirius nodded.

They said goodbye, and just when Remus was almost out the door, Marlene turned to Sirius, not speaking as quietly as she probably hoped to.

“So he’s actually getting a divorce?!“

Dorcas face palmed. Sirius was baffled.

Remus was back so fast staring at her in surprise that it seemed he’d never been almost gone.

“You can’t ask people that, Marls, fucking hell.“, Dorcas groaned.

Remus‘ eyes met his, and the total confusion in them was amusing indeed.

“Why would we be getting a divorce?“, he said, sounding almost offended, and the girls stared. He also stared.

Sirius couldn’t help a grin.

Marlene was beet red in the face, shrugging and pointing to him. Sirius.

Remus frowned.

“That’s not… Sirius has done nothing but been amazing to me in our marriage. I don’t know why people should think we‘re getting a divorce. Pads?“

Now they looked at each other, and Sirius couldn’t help the little laugh coming out of him.

“Wait!“, Dorcas said loudly.

“What do you mean? You’re- oh my god, Black. Your friend told us utter bullshit, didn’t he?“

Right then, Remus‘ mouth fell open.

“Pads… James?“

He shrugged guiltily, but also didn’t stop laughing.

“So you‘re not… married to a woman and Black is your side affair?“, Marlene asked, and Remus just stared in disbelief, mouth open and then closing like he noticed, always polite.

“Oh my god, I‘m not even gonna answer that.“

Sirius was glad that he could see the corners of his mouth twitching, or he’d be afraid Remus was mad.

“I am mad, Pads, in case you’re wondering. It’s funny, but I‘m mad. I would never have an affair while married.“

He turned to leave, when Marlene spoke up again.

“But why the ring then?“

Remus turned back once more, he kissed Sirius, giving his chest a good pat.

“Maybe you should tell them about the logical and sheer boring explanation and nature of your relationship, eh, love? Since it’s not half as thrilling as the story you told about it.“

He stepped away, rubbing his eyes.

“What a long day, and it’s not even halfway done.“, he murmured so quietly that almost Sirius didn’t catch it, and then waved goodbye, disappearing. Sirius was glad he heard his husband chuckle as he went out the door.

“Black!“, Dorcas exclaimed, cheeks red.

He raised his hands in surrender.

“I got a shift now, ladies.“

When he filed in behind the counter, Dorcas was leaning over it.

To his surprise, her brows were furrowed in concern.

“Look, I don’t wanna overstep. And it’s funny what we believed about your relationship, but apart from all of that… are you okay? What did you talk about, or more like… well, just if you’re okay, both of you. You’ve seemed a bit… different recently. Worn out.“

Suddenly, Sirius didn’t feel like laughing anymore, or joking. People apart from his family rarely asked about his well being, seen as he was pretty dope at hiding his real feelings when he was down.

So he was a bit caught off guard, tapping the wood with his finger for a moment before shrugging.

“We’ve been going through some things.“

Then he reached inside his shirt and pulled out the long necklace, ring dangling at its end. He let it sit against his chest, visible now.

“Also, I am his husband. We’ve been married for six years.“

Her eyes widened a bit.

“How old are you again?“

He smiled, almost a little proudly.

“Twenty-five. Actually, we started dating a bit over ten years ago. I‘m very cheesy about it usually, my first everything and shit like that. Cause he’s my everything.“

His jaw was a bit clenched as he kept scanning items and filing them away while talking.

“Are you getting… divorced? Even if he didn’t say so?”, she asked carefully.

Honestly, it was quite out of character. Dorcas never seemed like a gentle careful kind of woman, she was… a lot, but Sirius thought that maybe she wasn’t so different from him sometimes.

At the question, he stopped his movement, staring at her.

“What? No.“

She seemed relieved, but shrugged.

“It’s logical. You were talking about attorneys and cancelling papers and stuff.“

He closed his eyes for a moment and then continued scanning so he didn’t have to look at her.

“Um, Yeah. But we‘re not getting divorced. He makes me happier than ever, so.“

He swallowed.

“We’ve, um, actually been trying to get approved for adoption two times now, and it’s… not worked out so far.“

Having said it, he let out a little breath and looked at her. She blinked slowly.

„I didn’t even know anything. Sorry.“

He smiled a little.

“No it’s okay. I‘m not really oversharing with these type of things. It’s just been, bullshit. For the second time, we were waiting for weeks, months almost, just to get told we‘re not suitable for the organisations requirements or some shit like that.“

“Oh.“

“Yeah, though it’s stupid. We’ve been married for six years, and I don’t think it matters that we got married so young cause it obviously worked out just fine, and we have stable incomes, a good place to live, hell. He’s a fucking teacher, he’s around kids constantly.“

“But then…“

He raised a brow and they looked at each other for a long moment before her mouth fell open slightly.

“No.“

He hummed.

“Yeah. It’s, you know, frustrating. And it’s been really dragging us down. We… we’ve decided to stop for now. Try again later. We’re still young I guess, in our twenties, and I want to focus on the job and he on his, and then we can come back to it. Because right now, it’s too much.“

She didn’t reply, fiddling with a pen and nodding slowly.

“I‘m sorry, that sucks. The… discrimination part.“

He chuckled. “Yeah it does. It’s all fine behind the keyboard, typing it out with no remorse or feeling of guilt, printing it and sending it away and never coming back to it. Not even someone I could punch in the face.“

Her grin came back slowly.

“I punched someone in the face once cause they were rude about my girlfriends clothes.“

“Same principle.“

“It felt really good. Never got why so many people looked so horrified after doing such.“

He grinned too.

“You’re violent, Meadows.“

“What, you can’t tell me you haven’t.“

He shrugged.

“Totally have. Sometimes it was great, but not always. It has happened so many times that I’ve had enough. When I was sixteen, I got in a lot of fights. I had a lot of, what is it called…“ He made Jazzhands, „Issues.“, he finished, smiling slightly, and she laughed quietly.

“Me too, me too.“

There was a moment of silence, and she hesitated, putting her hands on the counter.

“I never would’ve thought you were married when you walked in here.“

He smiled, and it was genuine.

“Great to know my punk rock exterior is working.“

Then he shrugged.

“But well. I like to flirt, but I love to be in love with him much more. Wouldn’t wanna go without it.“, he joked, nodding to a customer and bopping Dorcas nose before turning around to help them.

-

James invited Marlene and Dorcas to the annual Potter Christmas party as Sirius‘ friends.

“Are you sure it’s not gonna be weird?“, Marlene asked him when they were back in the storage room unpacking new shipments.

“Why? Don’t you consider us friends, McKinnon?“, he asked jokingly, mocking a tear falling from his eye.

She rolled hers.

“Course I do, stupid. But he made it sound like it was this super important thing, and we really don’t wanna intrude.“

He laughed quietly, dusting off a beautiful dark cover.

“Marls, a lot of People will be there, don’t worry. Just have fun, drink warm wine, eat all of the food, because there will always be leftover. Bring children if you have any.“

“I‘m twenty three, Black.“

He shrugged.

“You never know.“

“Well, I don’t have kids.“

He smirked.

“Partners? One, two? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?“

She laughed, but didn’t exactly look at him either.

“No, sadly that’s a no.“

He sighed. “You should ask Meadows to be your date, show some courage. You’re drooling all over each other all the time anyway.“

She gasped and hit his arm, hard.

“Not true!“

But her red cheeks were telling a different story.

“Come on, I know what that’s like!“

She looked him dead in the eye, not budging.

“You haven’t been single since you were like fourteen, dude.“

He shrugged. “Yeah, maybe, but also we were very deeply pining back then. Hardcore pining. And I’m not stupid. I feel the vibes.“

“Idiot. I‘m not… forget it.“

“Hm. You’d be hot together. Just saying.“

“We‘ll be there. But only if you do not talk about this again.“

For a moment, they had a stare contest, and he ended up budging.

“Fine, fine. All good.“

She nodded, backing away, until he winked.

“Think about it.“, he mouthed, and she only flipped him off, barely containing her laughter as she shook her head.

-

Lily had spent most of the day of the party planning and making food and drinks for the night, while James did all the rest. He always did, starting days before with even more decoration than they had already up, setting up cozy places around the garden, porch, and inside, and making everything sparkle.

He had Harry help him with it, too, and Lily couldn’t stop smiling at his little hands carefully arranging some fairy lights and showing her when they were done.

She always liked to say just a little bit that the parties were too much, but secretly, she loved them a lot. Which was something that James knew.

-

Marlene was totally cool when Dorcas picked her up to go to the Christmas party.

They arrived at around seven, when quite some people were already there, lounging around, drinking and eating, talking. Music was playing inside loudly as they walked over the doorstep of the house, being momentarily overwhelmed by all the lights and stuff.

But as she adjusted to it, Marlene recognised it carried a sort of messy beauty. The decoration wasn’t perfectly aligned everywhere, hanging off some edges or messily applied, but it looked comfortable. Cute.

In the broad hallway, there were many many pictures on the walls.

Sadly, she didn’t have much time to look at them, because right when her gaze wandered to one, James Potter walked into the hallway and spotted them.

“Oh, Hello there! Marlene and Dorcas, isn’t it? I‘m glad you’re here!“

His cheeks were red from the heat inside the house, and his glasses were hanging a bit down his nose, but his grin was wide and he held his arms out to hug them.

Left to them, a child ran after another smaller one, making screams of joy.

“Oops, careful there buddy.“, James messed up the red hair of the smaller one, then led her and Dorcas through the hallway into the kitchen.

It was more quiet than the rest of the place, probably because of the closed door.

On a counter, food and drinks were staples and displayed, and once in a while, someone came in and said hi, getting themselves some. Mostly, it was a group of four in there.

When Marlene and Dorcas joined, making it six.

They got introduced to Lily, James‘ wife, and Alice and Frank Longbottom.

They were all just really, really nice. Especially Lily, Marlene immediately found a liking to.

She stood next to her at a wall and talked with her quite nicely, laughing too.

“So… Blacks not here yet?“, she asked after a moment, eyes wandering round the kitchen. James had left it a moment ago.

Lily smiled.

“Oh, they’re usually pretty late. Sirius says its because being late is cool. Remus doesn’t say anything. James says it’s because they’re worse than horny teenagers and Sirius loves Remus in a Christmas sweater just a bit too much. I guess that it’s a mixture of all of them.“

Marlene laughed.

“Sounds about right.“

Lily nodded, still smiling.

James came back into the kitchen, a little boy on his hip.

“When is uncle Pads and Moony coming?“, he whined, reaching his arms out to Lily.

For a moment, Marlene was confused.

“This is Marlene, Harry.“, Lily explained to the mess of dark hair and deep skin.

“And This is Harry. Our baby.“, Lily explained, soft smile on her lips, and she realised.

“Oh! Hi Harry.“, she said, and the boy grinned, a tooth missing.

“Hi.“ then he turned back to his mum and asked her something.

Apparently they were sirius‘ exact age, and this baby was already about four or five, then they’d become parents pretty early.

Judging from everything though, they were happy and doing just fine.

And god, that was a cute kid.

-

When it got past eight, Harry and his little friend named Ron sat down on the floor with some toys, and Marlene stayed mostly in the kitchen eating and drinking, talking to the people in there. Mostly Lily, but also Dorcas.

“Daddy, when are Padfoot and Moony coming?“, Harry asked for the millionth time, and Marlene grinned.

“He Must love those guys.“

“Oh, more than us it sometimes feels like. They’re his everything.“

She nodded, looking down to the kids, when there were loud voices from the hallway coming closer.

“Pads!!“, Harry Said excitedly, standing up, and Marlene raised her brows waiting.

As if on cue, the door swung open to reveal Sirius, in dark jeans and a turtle neck, huge leather jacket over it. He was wearing a halo tucked into his hair and dark red lipstick. Honestly, why couldn’t she pull off lipstick that well? The fucker.

“Hello!! Where’s my favourite prongslet at??“, he called out, smiling widely and bending down already at the child running towards him.

Behind him, Remus entered the kitchen.

His face was clean of any Make up, not that his lips didn’t have a reddened look to them. He was, in fact, wearing a Santa’s hat and a Christmas sweater.

“Hi.“, he waved to Marlene and Dorcas, hugging Lily while Sirius scooped a laughing Harry up in the air and his arms.

“You’ve grown so much!!“

Harry laughed.

“You came over a week ago!“

Sirius pulled him closer, burying his nose in his hair.

“Hmm. Go say uncle Moony hi, right?“

He let Harry down, who ran to Remus to say hi. Sirius came over to her now.

“Glad to see you made it, McKinnon.“

He grinned.

“I really like your outfit. The halo and lipstick sold it for me.“

He grinned even wider.

“Why, thank you. I actually got catcalled while walking. They were so horribly irritated when they realised I was a flaming homosexual that it wasn’t as irritating for myself anymore. Re was ready to throw hands.“

Both of them looked over to Remus, bending down to talk to Harry.

They whispered in each other’s eyes confidentially, Remus giving a sure nod and Harry a heavy glance.

“I wanna go outside, Mummy. Moony can go with me, right, Moony?“

Remus nodded seriously. „Course.“

Lily and everyone else smiled knowingly, but she shrugged and nodded casually.

The two left the room, Harry tugging on remus‘ hand.

“What are they doing?“, Dorcas asked, and James chuckled.

“Exchanging Trades. Harry usually can’t eat sweet so late, which is why Remus has made a great big secret deal out of it, handing Harry the chocolate he brings him in some secret place where no one notices.“

“You’d think he’s giving him a bomb. Or weed.“, Lily snorted, but smiled.

“But its too cute.“

-

“Very cute.“, Sirius agreed, going over to the counter and taking two plates, loading them with food. Then, instead of taking some of the warm wine standing there waiting, he walked into the corner of the kitchen. Opened the cabinet, pulled out the vodka, poured himself a shot and downed it.

He stood for a moment, resting his head against the board, and then went back pouring himself wine and starting to eat.

James stood in front of him, eyes roaming over his face.

“What happened?“

He laughed quietly.

“Long day. Long story. I swear I‘m fine, Prongs.“, he said quietly, squeezing his best friends shoulder.

“But you‘ll tell me about it.“

“Yeah, course. Just not now, right. I‘m hungry.“

James patted his back and let him back to his food.

He’d just said a few words to Lily, who was standing with Marlene and Dorcas, when Remus came back in, Harry running to Ron and whispering to him excitedly.

He handed Remus the plate of food, who took it with a smile and a kiss.

“Thanks. Did you… did you take a shot?“

Sirius hummed. “Maybe.“

He thought back to the phone in his hand, somehow cold and hot at the same time.

“I thought you only needed the poison of my lips.“, Remus joked, poking a piece of sausage onto his fork and pushing it in his mouth, pulling it off with his teeth almost seductively, pressing a kiss to the fork when finished.

“You’re gross.“, he murmured.

“Ha. Want me to do it again?“

Before he could do as told, Sirius grabbed his hand with the fork and held it back, chest fluttering.

“Babe I swear, don’t.“

One glance, and Remus was laughing for a good moment.

“Thought so.“

“I‘m so glad I married you.“

Remus‘ laugh transformed into something softer, and he adjusted the halo on his head carefully.

“Me too. Now eat, my great angel. Or you‘ll lose at our games with Harry later, and no one wants that.“

“You want that.“

“Yeah I do. Guess I‘m too competitive.“

-

Later, he sat with Harry on the floor, the boy tangled up in his arms. He brushed the hair from his forehead and told him lots of stories about everything and nothing.

“Why don’t you give me a Brother of sister, Pads?“

Sirius swallowed, trying a smile.

“Mine and Moonys kid would be your cousin, Harry.“

“Oh, Yeah. A cousin then?“

“You know, Harry, we can’t get pregnant and have a tummy like your mummy, with a baby I it, Moony and I.“

“Oh.“ Harry looked sad.

“And you don’t want a Baby?“

“Sure we want. We tried to ask some people that look for babies without mummy’s or daddies, to give one to us.“

Harry looked much happier already, curiosity in his eyes.

“And?“

“It’s very complicated. They didn’t think we deserved a baby, I suppose.“

Harry pouted. “Why?“

Sirius didn’t know how to explain homophobia to a little child when he was slightly intoxicated.

Harry grasped into his hair.

“But… not because you kiss Moony and not… a girl? Right?“

He smiled sadly, pressing a kiss to Harry’s messy hair and pulling them together.

“I guess that’s what they think. That babies need a mummy.“

Harry snorted.

“A Moomy is better than a boring mummy. They should be happy you called!“

He chuckled lightly, swaying them to the side and back.

“Yeah they should. We were really sad. But it’s okay Harry, we‘ll just wait. You know, patience and such.“

“I hate patience.“

“Me too, prongslet, me too.“

-

James came over to Remus when a good part of people had already left and he found him sitting on the stairs going upstairs, leaning against the wall and watching what was happening downstairs.

“Hey Prongs.“

“Pads seems a bit tired.“

They looked down into the living room, where the two, sirius and Harry, were sitting against a wall and talking. The boy was completely engulfed in Sirius‘ jacket and arms, seeming perfectly happy so.

“This Cousin Bellatrix called. Apparently Regulus is getting married in a few days, arranged with a rich, white, girl something. I think she just wanted to rub it under his nose. That he doesn’t get anything of his brothers life.“

James was quiet for a moment, gaze hard.

“What a bitch.“

Remus hummed.

“He was pretty upset. It was pretty early though, and I think he’s fine right now. It’s just frustrating, I guess, but you know he loves being around Harry way too much to blow the party.“

James smiled softly looking down at the two.

“He‘s definitely Harry’s favourite too.“, Remus added with a chuckle.

Harry tugged on Sirius‘ hair as they talked, and Sirius bent down to kiss his head.

“He’s so good with him. I don’t-“ James looked at him and stopped.

“Sorry Moony.“

He tried a weak smile.

“It’s okay. I don’t understand it either. But for now, Harry can enjoy all of Sirius‘ attention all for himself.“

James nodded, sitting down more comfortable and leaning against his shoulder.

“Can’t believe it’s been ten years and you can still deal with him.“, he joked, and Remus laughed quietly.

“Right?“

They sat in silence for a moment. “Loving someone is really great, isn’t it? Until that someone is in pain, and you know it, but you can’t do a thing.“

James nodded, wrapping an arm around Remus‘ shoulder.

“You‘ll get through it all, Moony. It’s Padfoot. And it’s you.“

Remus smiled softly, Harry’s giggle bubbling up in the air.

“Yeah. God, I can’t believe how much I love him sometimes.“

James grinned widely.

“I can. I‘m so glad I don’t live with you anymore, cause you really liked to show it.“

“You git. Shut up.“, he laughed.

“My, I would never.“

-

Marlene helped Lily clean up some of the kitchen while James put Harry to bed. Almost all people were gone now too.

“Yeah, it’s not always easy with a little child, especially when you still feel like one sometimes.“, Lily chuckled, stacking up some plates.

“Harry wasn’t exactly planned. And we hadn’t been dating for forever either. But somehow, I was also excited. Twenty and a baby sounds crazy to some, but we gladly had so much support from James‘ parents and our family.“

She smiled.

“Which is Sirius and Remus. These boys have been best friends since they’re eleven. And when Sirius ran away from home, he stayed with James, they’re brothers. And well, Remus. Everyone loves Remus.“

She laughed softly and went into the hallway, gesturing Marlene to follow her.

Finally she could look at the pictures.

“We’ve loads of pictures. It’s always important to us to capture many memories, so when times are not as good, it’s nice to look back on.“

“Where’s this?“ Marlene pointed to a picture of the group of them.

Sirius was in his leather jacket and jeans, and Remus in a sweater, a flower crown on his curls. They looked younger.

“Oh Yeah, their Wedding day.“

What? Marlene looked closer, and Lily laughed quietly.

“Yeah. It was the best. It was just the five of us and James‘ parents. Remus‘ parents, um, he’s an orphan. So, that was all. Our little family. After they’d said yes, we went to eat greasy burgers and then got super drunk.“

She went to another picture, a very pregnant Lily and Sirius kneeling in front of her, talking to her belly.

“He always sang to him. Still does, when Harry asks. He always insisted he had to teach the kid music taste before he was born.“

Marlene grinned. That sounded like the Sirius she knew.

“He’s been through a lot in his life for twenty five. But, oh here, that’s the day Harry was born.“

She pointed to a frame in a hospital room. Sirius was facing the camera but not looking at it, only looking at the little bundle in his arm. Remus had bent up beside him to press a kiss to his temple.

“We knew he had to be godfather the moment we knew I was pregnant. He’s never been anything but amazing with him, and Harry worships the ground he walks on. Not that it’s different the other way around.“

-

When everyone but the potters and them had left, Sirius and Remus were lying on the couch.

It was fairly new, and felt like it.

“We should have sex here tonight. To piss off Lily.“, he suggested, and Remus snorted, shaking his head.

“You’re horrible.“

“Yes you are.“, came James‘ voice as the other man walked through the door, planting himself on the couch next to them.

“This Couch was expensive.“

“Whine, whine.“, Sirius mocked him, and Remus snickered.

“You’re so responsible, Prongsie.“, he added, smile playing on his lips. “A real adult.“

James sighed dramatically.

“One day I had to become one, didn’t I.“

“I will probably never be one.“, Sirius grinned, and Remus kissed his hair.

“Probably.“

James leaned back, smiling.

“I don’t actually think I‘m one either. I just pretend, so Harry doesn’t think his dad is a loser. I swear, the other mums in prep school are hardcore judgy when I come around.“

“Why?“

„I dunno, maybe they think I‘ll go for a quick run and leave my kid alone cause I can’t take the pressure of being a parent.“

Remus snickered.

“Yeah, sure.“

James’ response was a scoff.

“They sure look at me like that.“

Sirius reached over to shove his shoulder.

“Yeah, but when it comes to it, I don’t think their kids are that excited when their parents pick them up.“

James huffed out a breath. “Yeah, Karen, sorry your Family is not as cool as Mine.“

Remus laughed softly.

“Karen could never.“

James grin returned as he patted the cushions.

“And you’re still not having sex on that couch, Pads, don’t think I forget that.“

Sirius snuggled closer into his husbands chest, feeling the warmth through his body.

“Don’t worry, Prongs. That’s what the guest bedroom is for.“

James yelped, and they all started laughing.

“You’re horrible!“

Now Remus piped up, shrugging.

“Come on Jamesie, we’ve stayed here for days on end-“

Sirius laugh was louder than James‘ yell of protest, and it vibrated through Remus‘ chest as he closed his eyes smiling. Feeling Sirius and James wrestle, but with Sirius not wanting to get out of his lap, so it was a weird mess of limbs and arms, and then giving up. So James Just scooted closer and intruded into the hug, like then they were twelve and cold, feeling alone.

Remus gladly had arms long enough to allow it still, and smiled into the touch.

And when he opened his eyes again, Lily was standing in the door frame to the living room, phone in one hand and the other on her hip, head tilted with a soft smile.

“Care to join us?“, Sirius asked, noticing her too.

“I think this one is for the boys only.“, she said calmly, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

“This Couch was the right Choice.“, James lulled tiredly, smiling.

“Should I bring you more blankets and pillows so you can all have a big sofa sleepover?“, she asked quietly.

There was a moment of silence.

“I love you more than life, and that sounds fantastic.“, James said, eyes gleaming with excitement, and Sirius whooped.

While they all got up to get into pyjamas and set up the giant sofa bed, Sirius‘ heart was warm, but his thoughts came back to the phone call he’d had today, and the news he’d received. And about his talk with Harry. That gorgeous little boy.

“We should do this more often.“, James hummed, when they were watching the glowing stars taped to the ceiling. Harry had apparently badly wanted them there as well as in his room.

“You know actually that you have a wife and a bed in which to sleep next to her.“, Remus reminded him, and Sirius laughed.

“True. But I just love having you guys around. It never gets old.“

No, it really didn’t.

-

Remus was just carefully going into the hallway to the kitchen to get himself a water, in the middle of the night, when there were small footsteps behind him.

“Uncle Moony?“

He turned around and bent down to open his arms for Harry.

“Hey Harry, you okay? Did you have a bad dream?“

“Can’t sleep. Can you read to me?“

Remus reading to Harry had happened early on in his life. Remus always had a book on him to read, and even if it was way too complicated for his little vocabulary, Harry always wanted him to read aloud to him. Maybe it was about the way he read, or the tone of his voice, but there was no one Harry loved more reading to him.

He thought for a moment. “Yeah, of course bud. Wanna join us on the couch, eh?“

As he nestled back into the blanket, Harry snuggled right next to him, handing him the book and a low flashlight.

If James and or Sirius were woken up during the quiet and soft reading, they didn’t show it. If they were, they probably fell asleep listening, just like little Harry.

A few days later, Lily sent them some pictures she’d taken on Christmas and around it, one of them being the marauders all in a big heap of blankets and bodies, together on the couch, with a small Harry safely tucked between them. he had a smile on his face in his sleep, just like James always did.

-

After Christmas, life went on. They ate leftovers for days, spent long mornings in bed without any need to get up, and celebrated the start of a new year.

A new year, which would bring Sirius a promotion. Only he didn’t know that yet.

It would also bring them many happy memories with friends, new and old, long nights talking and long days laughing.

It would bring them Christmas, a paper in their hands that told them that the same time the next year, they would arrive at the annual Potter Christmas party plus one, a tiny girl with a Christmas sweater on and halo perched at the top of her head.

It would bring Regulus getting married, cashing in the money of both his and his wife’s family and then running off with her to leave those respective families in the same breath. It would bring a reunion no one had really thought would happen.

It would bring a year full of couch sleepover memories, hopes, dreams, and kisses full of promises.

It would bring home.

Just like every year after that.

And there was nothing Sirius could have ever been more grateful for than that.

**Author's Note:**

> Stay tuned for this series to grow and feel free to follow my [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/remusroses) for more!


End file.
